Liquid aluminum circulated amongst tungsten tubes, that's what I've come up with this time. The reason for it is because aluminum has low melting point, but high boiling point--- is a good conductor.
Want to use something to transfer heat and is liquid, don't want to use hydrogen for that. Use the hydrogen when it is time to heat it up for exhaust out the nozzle.
The aluminum is intended to level out the heating so that it is uniform throughout the heat exchanger.
Basic design would be two plates connected together with carbonized substance that doesn't conduct heat. The bottom plate is where the tungsten tube is connected and anchored. The hydrogen is pumped through the tube where it expands the hydrogen into exhaust which is directed out the nozzle as thrust.
Have to keep the aluminum pretty hot in order that it stays melted. If it freezes, has to be re-melted. This may be a problem--- not sure. The sun always shines in space, until you it is blocked by a planet. Like Earth, Moon, or Mars.
The goal of this thing is to emulate a nuclear thermal rocket with concentrated solar power: heat the thing up to 2700 degrees C. That is well above the melting point of aluminum, but still below the boiling point. The melting point of tungsten is much higher still. If this temperature can be maintained even with the cold hydrogen injected into it, we may have a winner. I don't see why not. You can focus as many mirrors on a spot as is necessary.
I got the idea to use tungsten from listening to space show as one of his guests on a show not that long ago proposed using it in a nuclear thermal rocket.
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